trying for specifics

That last post was so vague that I don't know if it clarified anything at all. So I decided to pick up the Thomas Jefferson Education Home Companion to look at; I remembered it being much more specific and practical, so I thought perhaps I could use that as a springboard for writing out some more practical thoughts on the matter.

I just read the first article, called Off the Conveyer Belt, by Diane Jeppson who has four daughters. The idea of the "conveyer belt" is of course parallel to unschooling's concept of "assembly line" education. JT Gatto is a vehement critic of the factory-driven model of education, as well.

Here then is a list of the things she mentions that she has found to work towards an individualized education designed for excellence. This are things that we tend to do around here as well:

• Careful record-keeping (either formal or journalling -- but it's been a pattern of mine to record extensively)
  
• Reading plenty of classics yourself (the parents) -- seek recommendations
• Discuss the books --take them seriously.
  
• Have family readings and conversations.
• Design the childrens' academics to support their reading, understanding and appreciation of the classics.
  

Some other ideas she mentions that we don't do as much in this family, at least not exactly the way she describes, but that might be helpful for some:

• When a child decides to study a topic, help him plan objectives, and then design a tutoring system to help him reach his goals. In some cases the mother might be the best tutor; in other cases, the father; in other cases, siblings or people outside the home. (This sounds a bit like the community-based style of education that is described in As the Skylark Sings. (We do this, I suppose, but usually much less formally. We are not people who usually get inspired by logistics, so we do it more the rabbit-trailing, circle and then zone in type method).

• Plan discussion groups with likeminded families. I would like to do this sometime. I always like reading about Love2Learn Family's activities in this area. In the meantime, we have a few friends who love to talk about the same books and movies that we do, and we also rely on the internet to exchange and hear thoughts on the Great Ideas.

• Make room for leadership opportunities. I suppose it is the language that defeats me here. Diane Jeppson mentions craft fairs, running seminars, and things like that for leadership. The idea is to let the kids practice adult life skills while they are still in the nest. I guess we do some of that too, but I usually don't think of it so much as "leadership opportunities" -- more of just expanding, sharing, developing interests and gifts.

Even though Diane Jeppson does use that type of more formal language, she says that in practice she usually tries to keep it as organic as possible. For example, she expanded a simple morning devotion time into a more full-blown reading, discussion and research hour, but she took care not to impose it upon the kids like a ton of bricks, but rather to let it develop more naturally.

My children don't mind being assigned things, usually, but they do seem to heartily resist being molded. I think it runs in the Celtic temperament they get from both sides of the family. So some of the most "relaxed, fun" type of curricula are often the ones they hate most heartily, and some of the more structured ones actually appeal to them more.

Maureen at Trinity Prep School has pulled together some Thomas Jefferson Education carnivals. I think I will try to read through some of them this vacation.

But when I was writing my last post I felt convicted about spending too much time theorizing and not enough time just being around my kids. So that's step one, definitely; just being there!

Clare is baking a cake and listening to Anna and the King of Siam. Paddy and Liam just came in from a walk outdoors in the snow (Liam with photos to show); Sean has been timing his football 40's. And Aidan is trying to talk Kevin into cutting down a Christmas tree!